Combination feeding nipple



April 22, 1958 w. H. GARNER 2,

COMBINATION FEEDING NIPPLE Filed July 16, 1956 dV/LLMM A. 6419/1 58 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent COMBINATION FEEDING NIPPLE William H. Garner, Glendale, Caiif. Application July 16, 1956, Serial No. 598,013

Claims. (Cl. 128-252) This invention relates to the feeding of infants, and particularly to a nipple having special features of construction adapting it to be used as a means for feeding pabulum, when desired, to an infant instead of his regular milk diet. The pabulum may be in the form of a viscous gruel or the like, or even of soft solid food if it happens that he has acquired some teeth.

One of the objectsof this invention is to produce a nipple capable of being attached to the mouth of an infants milk bottle, and having features of construction that will enable it to be removed from his bottle and attached to the end of a handle-member, which, if desired, may be-of relatively soft material such as rubber, or other-suitable material. When so used the nipple is attached to one end of the handle while the other end of the handle maybe inserted into his month which would assist him in his days of teething.

Another object of this invention is to provide an embodiment of the invention constructed so as to enable the same nipple to be used interchangeably on the mouth of a milk bottle'and also on the end of a teething handle or stick.

In addition to an embodiment of the invention in which the nipple has a cup form recess or cavity, that can be used as .a spoon for dishing up all kinds of pabulum, such as an infant may consume, another object of the invention is to provide the projecting extension of the nipple with means whereby the pabulum to be taken up by the nipple may be caught up by a movement of the nipple in either direction within, and below the level of, the pabulum.

Further objects of the invention will be evident from a careful reading of the present specification, and a study of the accompanying drawing.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which form recess or cavity 9 within it which can be used as a contribute to produce an efiicient combination feeding nipple.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of.

the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating this nipple applied to the neck of a milk bottle, the body of the bottle being broken away.

Figure 2 is a vertical section, enlarged in scale and taken in a radial plane from the axis of the nipple and passing through the longitudinal axis of an elongated feeding opening when the nipple is being held with the longitudinal opening uppermost as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is-a top plan view of another embodiment of this nipple and showing a portion of a handle-member for the same broken away.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken through theforward portion of the nipple about on the line 4-4 and in a vertical plane.

Figure 5 is a vertical section in part of an embodiment 9f the invention in which the nipple is represented as an embodiment of the invention in which the flexible cup form nipple is replaced by a flexible cup form end forming a prominent part of a handle or stick;

In practicing this invention I provide a nipple 1, the body 2 of which is substantially the same as that of an ordinary rubber nipple for an infants milk bottle; that is to say, it is more or less spherical, and the large end of which is formed with a concavo-convex rim 3, or any other form of rim that will-enable the nipple to be attached to the conforming neck 4 of a milk bottle.

In the present instance the bottle neck 4 is represented as having an integral annulus 5 over which the concaveconvex rim or collar 3 can fit snugly, as shown in Figure 2. This view is an enlarged horizontal section of the nipple and neck shown in Figure 1.

The body 2 of the nipple has a tapered portion 6 that terminates in a more or less tubular extension 7 the longitudinal axis of which is preferably a continuation of the geometrical axis of the nipple body.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and Z1 provide the upper side of the extension 7 with an opening 8 through which the milk can pass into a babys mouth when, he is taking milk from the bottle.

If and when it is desired to *use the nipple to give food other than milk to the baby the bottle may be used as a handle in which to hold the nipple when applying it to a dish of gruel or any other p'abulum that the babys attendant might wish to feedto him. i

In' other words, the extension 7'has an elongated cup scoop or flexible spoon to pick up the food.

In Figure 5 anotherembodiment of this invention is illustrated in which a nipple body 10 is provided with a more definitely elongated cup 11 that projects from the body 10, but in this case the nipple adjacent the rear end of the cup 11 is provided with a transverse diaphragm 12 having an orifice 13 through it which enables milk to pass through the diaphragm to the cup when this type of nipple is attached to a milk bottle.

However, in Figure 5 this type of nipple is illustrated as applied to a handle-member 14 which has an outwardly projecting rounded collar 15 near its free end to which the annulus or rim 16 of this nipple can be applied. Beyond the annulus a ball form tip 15a is formed that fills the chamber 10a within the body 10 of the nipple, and closes the orifice 13. This prevents food from collecting back of the diaphragm 12.

The collar 15 and the body portion of the handle 14 are preferably composed of soft rubber, plastic, or any other suitable material.

This handle 14 is rigid enough to enable it to operate effectively as a handle when feeding an infant in the manner suggested, but is soft or flexible enough to enable 1 the baby to use the end 17 of the handle for assisting his teething; and if desired, a teething ring such as provided for babies use may be carried at this end of the handle,

but this accessory is not illustrated.

In Figures 3 and 4 I illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the more or less tubular extension 17 is provided on opposite sides with two elongated ori- Y fices 18 and '19. If desired, one of these orifices may be longer, or of greater area than the other. In this case,-

maybe secured to a neck. of a tubular milk bottle 22 which can be of uniform diameter, if desired, to enable it to be used as a handle more readily'than an ordinary milk bottle, which might be of too large a diameter to be satisfactorily used as a, handle.

In using the. nipple of the type shown in Figures 3 and 4 the extension, 17 having the openings 18 and 19 should be passed through the. gruel or other food by a sidewise movement therein, with the openings 18 and 19 held below the surface ofthe gruel. This enables the. concavo-convex surface 23 on the under side of the nipple extension to operate as a rudimentary cup to support the food picked. up when passing the nipple through a viscous pabulum or a soft or more or less solid, food, if desired.

In Figure 6 I illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the'soft rubber tip 24 of a round handle 25 is molded with an elongated, cup form cavity 26 which can be used like a, spoon to pick up the gruel or pabulum 27.

If desired, the other end of the handle 25 may carry a teething ring as suggested above in describing the handle 14.

One of the principal advantages of nipples embodying this invention is that the extension that carries the cup form recess or cavity is of soft flexible rubber or other material which has a natural soft feeling to a babys lips; and furthermore, it cannot possibly injure the babys gums, if he should happen to bite upon it when taking food from the nipple.

Many other embodiments of this invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A nipple for an infants milk bottle, or the like, said nipple being of flexible material and having a tapering body with a concave-convex rim 'at its larger end for securing the same to the mouth of the bottle, said nipple also having an integral tubular extension projecting forward and having an opening in its side wall enabling the nipple to be introduced into the infants mouth, thereby enabling a pabulum from the bottle to be fed-directly through the opening into the infants mouth.

2. A nipple for an infants milk bottle or the like, according to claim 1, in which the said tubular extension is provided with a second opening in the wall of the same opposite to the location of the first named opening.

3. A nipple of flexible material, having a body with a concavo-convex rim for attaching the same to a handle member having means conforming to the rim, said nipple having a tubular extension projecting forward'and having an opening in its side wall enabling the nipple to function as a spoon for collecting portions of a viscous pabulum to feed the same to an infant.

4. Means for enabling a pabulum to be fed to an infant, said means including a nipple and asupporting memher therefor capable of functioning as a handle, said nipple having means for attaching the same to the end of the handle; said nipple having a cup form body for collecting and carrying pabulum, and for feeding-the same to the infant.

5. The combination of a handle-member composed of a;

soft material, an end of which is soft, adapted for insertion in the mouth of an infant when teething, and a nipple attached to the end of said handle, having a cup form cavity in its upper side and having an annular flange,

for detachably securing the same to the end of said handle-member, said nipple also having a diaphragm with an orifice closed by the end face of the said handle, when the nipple is attached to the handle, said orifice enabling the said nipple when detached from the handle-member, to

be employed attached to the mouth of a milk bottle, said, handle and attached nippleadapted to function as, a spoon.

for feeding pabulum to the infant.

References Cited in the file of this patent i I UNITED STATES PATENTS Kwast Mar. 30,, 

